Vehicle-shaft.



N0. 648,2!3. Patented Apr. 24, I900. F. MEUKERT, 1R. VEHICLE SHAFT.(Application filed Dec. 6, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Inventor:-

Witnesses:- Qmlw a.

fltzorney.

rrnn STATES PAT-EN FFIC VEHICLE-SHAFT.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,213, dated April24, 1900. 7

Application flled December 6, 1899. Serial No. 789,343. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MEUKERT;

Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the Stateof Maryland, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Shafts, which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to a novel construction and arrangement forattaching shafts or thills to the front axles of vehicles, whereby theshafts are always maintained in an ele-' vated position. v v

The object 'of my'invention is to provide shafts that will not requireany support from the harness on the horse.

The invention-is illustrated in theacoompanying drawings, in whicl1Figure 1 is an elevation of a front-wheel, the near wheelbeing removed,the section being on the line 1 l of Fig. 3, and shows the shaftconnections. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the front axle and wheelsand-shaft connections. Fig. 3 is'a' top view of parts. Fig.

ing the shaft, connections.

The letter A designates the front axle 'Of a vehicle, B the reach orperch pole extending 4 is a rear elevation of the frontaxle,-'sl1owbetweenthe front and rear axles, (the latter not beingshown,) and C an ordinary fifthwheel. D, may be used.

The shafts F have a suitable cross-bar and whiffletree 6; but the rearends F of the shafts back of the whiffletree are longer than usual andextend over the front axle A, and their extremities are jointed by thepivot-bolt g to irons at the rear of the axle. Suitable means in frontof the axle support the shaft in an elevated position. Each thill orshaft is connected to the axle by a set of irons that will now bedescribed. Aninverted-arch-shaped iron H is secured by a clip 77. to theaxle, one end of said iron curving up behind the axle and the other endcurving up in front. The rear end of this iron has joint-ears 2', whichreceive the joint-tongue j on the extremities of the thill, a pivot-bolt9 coupling these joint parts. The rear end of iron H also has an arm k,which projects forward laterally and downward and is secured by a boltto asemicircular bar L, whose ends are attached by clips or to the axle.The semicircular bar pivot-bolts g permittingthis.

Springs of any suitable kind, such as.

takes loosely through a guiden on the lower side of the reach B. Thisbar L contributes stability to the axle connections and prevents theaxle from tilting andthe king-bolt from Returning now to the invertedtained therein by a boltp, the weight of the forward ends of thethillbeing sustained by said bolt p. The sides of the box or clip N haveseveral holes 19, into either of which the bolt 19 may bev entered,thereby to vertically that may be harnessed into. the-thills.

adjust the forward end of the' thill, so as to Q make it suit the heightof the particular horse Itwill now be understood that if the bolts p inthe box at each side are removedthe for= ward ends of the shafts orthills F may be lowered until they rest on the ground, the It will alsobe understood that when a horse is harnessed into these thills thelatter are retained and kept in an elevated position without any support whatever from the harness. The harness-of a horse .in this vehiclewill require no saddle and no shaft-loops or tugs, such as are commonlyemployed. The only connections of the harness with the shafts or thillsare the usual harness-traces connected with the whiffletree e and theusual breech-strapsor holdback-straps connected with the loops g on thethills. It will be seen that no shaftweight comes on the horses back,and sore backs, therefore, are avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1 The combination of a front axle of a ve' hicle; irons attached to saidaxle and projecting both rearward and forward thereof; and

' shafts extending over the front axle to a point at its rear and whichare connected to the rearward-projecting portion and also to theforward-projecting portion of said irons.

2. The combination of a front axle of a vehicle; irons attached to saidaxle and projecting bothrcarward and forward thereof; boxes supported bythe forward-projecting irons; and shafts or thills which extend over thesaid axle and are pivoted to the rearward-projecting' portion of theirons, and are adjustable in said boxes on the forward-projecting irons.

8. The combination of the front axle of a vehicle; inverted-arch-shapedirons secured to the axle and having their back ends curving up behindand the other ends curving up in front; and shafts whose rear endsextend over said axle and are pivoted to said upcurved back ends andsupported by said up curved ends in front.

4. The combination of the front axle of a vehicle 5 a reach extending tothe rear axle; a semicircular bar, L, whose ends are attached to thefront axle and which takes on the lower side of said reach;inverted-archshaped irons secured to the axle and having their back endscurving up behind and the other ends curving up in front; and shaftsWhose rear ends extend over said axle and are pivoted to said upcurvedback endsand supported by said upcurved ends in front.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

1 #FREDERIOK MEUKERT, JR.

Witnesses:

CHARLES B. MANN, J r., CHARLES VIETSOH.

